Most people know that Saratoga Springs, New York is called Saratoga “Springs” because there are mineral springs in that area. However, many people today do not know the incredible popularity of these springs long ago. Saratoga Springs was a popular destination for the rich and famous during the 19th-century and people came from not only all over the nation, but from all over the world to drink from and bathe in the water produced by these springs. The Saratoga Springs healing mineral waters drew countless people to this area over the years.
Although the springs themselves are still popular and interesting for both locals and visitors today, they are not nearly as big a deal as they once were. Back then, people believed that these springs could heal various ailments and they are the primary reason that the city of Saratoga Springs is as happening and bustling as it is today. Read on to learn more.
The springs in Saratoga Springs have been drawing visitors to the area for hundreds of years. Even before the settlers arrived, Mohawk and Iroquois people drank and bathed in these waters and celebrated the healing powers of the mineral springs.
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Today, many of the springs in this area still produce water. Some are located inside Saratoga Spa State Park; others can be found around town in the city of Saratoga.
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The springs at Saratoga are the result of a geological fault that allows water trapped in layers of shale underground to surface. Every one of the springs in Saratoga has a slightly different mineral content. Some are even a little carbonated. There are around 20 springs still flowing in Saratoga Springs today.
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Once the settlers arrived to this part of New York, the popularity of the springs grew quickly. People flocked to the area as early as the late 1700s. President George Washington was a believer. He tried to buy High Rock Spring in 1783 but failed; someone else beat him to it.
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By the early 1800s, word of the healing properties of these waters spread quickly. Doctors claimed that drinking and bathing in the spring water could cure all sorts of ailments including diabetes, rheumatism, cancer, malaria, and more.
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By the middle of that century, Saratoga Springs was called “The Queen of American Spas.”
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Saratoga mineral water was bottled for sale outside of the area, and visitors could purchase it at local bars, as well.
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In 1882, Saratoga’s Grand Union Hotel was completed to serve the area’s many visitors. At the time, it was the largest hotel in the world.
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During this time period, Saratoga was the place to be. Famous people of all kinds came to Saratoga Springs to experience the water and to see and be seen. Author Nathaniel Hawthorne was a visitor. Actress Lillian Russell, shown here, was a regular in Saratoga, too.
Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons Many famous, rich, Gilded Age families visited Saratoga Springs often as well, such as the Vanderbilts, the Whitneys, and JP Morgan. James Fenimore Cooper also visited the area. Edgar Allan Poe visited Saratoga, also.
The Hall of Springs was built to house three of the springs but also to be a gathering place for well-to-do visitors to the area who celebrated parties and events there. Today, it is still in use for weddings, dinners, and other events.
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Several structures were built for bathing in the springs. The Lincoln Baths building, shown here, is still impressive. You can still bathe in the spring water today at the Roosevelt Baths.
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The Saratoga Bottling Plant building still stands as well. Today, it’s the Saratoga Automobile Museum.
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Saratoga Springs is still a popular place to visit, but it’s fun to think about what it was like long ago. It was surely a very exciting place to be! And to think, it all started because of a few natural mineral springs!
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Saratoga Springs is a wonderful place to visit at any time of year and for any reason. Next time you are there, take some time to think about its history and about the many people who came from all over to visit it well over 100 years ago. And, if you get a chance, try some of the spring water while you’re in town. It doesn’t taste very good, but it’s certainly an experience that you’ll never forget.
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Tyler A. McNeil, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Michael Clark/Google Local
Internet Archive Book Images, No restrictions, via Wikimedia Commons
New York Public Library, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons
Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Many famous, rich, Gilded Age families visited Saratoga Springs often as well, such as the Vanderbilts, the Whitneys, and JP Morgan. James Fenimore Cooper also visited the area. Edgar Allan Poe visited Saratoga, also.
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Mike Vandergrift/Google Local
Connie D/Google Local
Interested in more springs? Check out these hot springs around the USA! Relax All Your Worries Away At These 19 Jaw-Dropping Hot Springs In The U.S.
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Address: Saratoga Springs, NY, USA
